It’s been about 2 and 1/2 weeks since Sophie came to live with me and Jasper. In just the past few days we’ve finally settled in together. It’s been interesting to observe the transition.
Jasper was appalled that another dog was in his house. He wanted nothing to do with her for quite a while. Sophie would try to engage him in play and he’d grumble at her and walk away. A few times, though, he’d start playing, then remember he was supposed to be mad.
And, he stayed scarce. Instead of being in the house with me during the day, he’d stay outside. Under a bush or something. I told Sophie he was outside eating worms. Remember that song? “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, think I’ll eat some worms”. Jasper was the epitome of self-imposed suffering. He didn’t want tummy rubs, grudgingly ate his dinner.
Now, that’s a funny story… he was used to being a picky eater, eating slowly, walking away from the bowl, coming back to it whenever he wanted. No more. Sophie is like a vacuum! I’ve never seen man or beast eat so fast! And there’s no bottom to her. I feed her outside (in the patio-dining option we have here). The first few days she’d race back in and head straight for the J-Man’s bowl which he’d temporarily abandoned. She thought she’d died and gone to heaven. Two complete meals in under three minutes! Jasper now takes mealtime seriously. Who says the survival instinct has been bred out of modern dogs? Not me!
Last night they played and played and played in the backyard, chasing each other, trading toys. It was great to see them together. They’ve pretty much got it worked out. Sophie knows when Jasper really and truly wants to be left alone. (I think the gnashing teeth and neck bite finally convinced her he was serious.) Jasper seems to have accepted that she’s here to stay so he may as well lighten up and enjoy the ride.
As for me, I’ve settled in, too. I was very concerned about being able to physically handle a healthy, good-sized pup. I’ve now decided that I can (she’s is so easy). I’ve gotten over the guilt trip I was on about bringing another dog into Jasper’s sphere and hurting his feelings.
Their personalities are so different. Sophie is effervescent. Jasper is curmudgeonly. She has become my shadow. Jasper has become, well, he’s become much more attentive to me. Isn’t that interesting?
Two days before Mother’s Day Michael called me. He had found a female Boxer-mix puppy roaming in the desert behind his place. He couldn’t keep two dogs (against the rules of the place he lives), so he wanted to know if I wanted her. He knows my penchant for Boxers, but the main reason he thought of me was because he knew I wanted a dog that loves me. And this little girl was a lover.
Why I always say I’m “just going to take a look” is beyond me. I guess it’s my way of justifying getting another dog. Once I ‘look’, how can I resist? The reality is that I can resist, but I don’t, nor do I want to. After Mother’s Day brunch with my family I drove 200 miles out to Michael’s place to ‘take a look’ at this puppy.
I wasn’t in the market for a dog, I certainly didn’t need another mouth to feed. My arthritic knees did not want a puppy to take care of. However, I believe there are no coincidences in life. The fact that Michael actually took this pup into his care, that it was a boxer-mix and that she fit the bill for so many characteristics that I wanted were all signs that this was likely my dog. I am grateful that the universe doesn’t send more signs my way.
She was wiggly, mouthy, had no manners whatsoever, jumped on me, and growled and barked at anything that moved. Best of all, she truly was a lover. She probably would have loved anyone, but there was no doubt that she loved me. She was perfect.
Jasper was thrilled to have a new playmate. For about 15 minutes. That’s when he realized that she wasn’t leaving. He was not happy. Sophie has been with us for almost two weeks. Jasper is just now tolerating her. As of today, he is finally ’speaking’ to me again.
Until about 6 months ago people would ask me what kind of dog Jasper is, and I’d reply, “Only God knows”, or “All-American”. Then, I stumbled on to a web site that had photos of adult Soft-Coated Wheaton Terriers. The resemblance was amazing.
The magazine, The Bark (http://www.thebark.com/) had a short advertising blurb about a DNA test that could be done on dogs. It was targeted to mix breed pets. It was not the kind of test for pure bred dogs to verify parentage and fancy stuff like that. I sent away for a test kit for Jasper. Here’s where you can get one, too: Dog DNA Breed Testing
Even though all that I had to do was brush his gums with the little brush supplied for the test, I didn’t do it right away. The kit sat on my nightstand for a couple of months. Then Michael and Onyx came to visit.
My friend Michael is an engineer. He is an engineer right down to his bone marrow. For those of you who have an engineer in your life, nothing else needs to be said. For those of you who don’t have an engineer of your very own, here’s a little background.
Engineers like details. Lot of them. They never get tired of details. If there are none, they go looking for them. Details are to be analyzed, dissected, and understood. They need to be pondered upon and categorized. Everything in the engineer’s universe has a name and a place, it can be weighed and measured and quantified. And if any of these factors aren’t readily present and in order, that has to be corrected. Immediately.
Mixed breed dogs, especially those rescued ‘off the street’, are often not quantifiable. They are made up of lots of details, sometimes too many to sort out. Even for an engineer.
When Michael and Onyx came to visit us last fall, he asked if I could help him find the woman who rescued Onyx. He wanted to know more details about where she was found, how they had found her, etc. I contacted the vet’s office where the woman worked, but no one knew her. It had been about a year and a half since we had gotten Onyx, so it was no surprise that she was no longer there.
What better gift to give an engineer for his birthday than DNA test results on his mixed breed rescue dog? Folks, I don’t think it can get any better than that!
So, before they left for home, I brushed Onyx’s gums and sealed the brush in the return envelope provided by the company. I told Michael I wanted a photo of them before they took off. He thought I was being sentimental, but I really wanted it to put on the certificate they were going to send him with Onyx’s breed information. The photo I took is the one in the previous post below.
The test comes back with several ‘degrees’ of breed recognition. If one of the parents was a pure breed, the results will give the breed. If there is a significant amount of a specific breed, like maybe one of the parents had a pure bred parent, the test will show that breed as a ’secondary’ breed. Then if there are any other identifiable breeds, the certificate shows them under “in the mix”.
Sweet little Onyx is Italian Greyhound, with Golden Retriever in the mix. Her body shape is that of a greyhound-type dog, but she weighs about 40 pounds.
When Michael received the certificate, he called and asked if this was a joke or if it was for real. Too funny! I can certainly understand why he thought it might be a joke. I mean, testing a dog’s DNA for its breed mix is not too well-known.
If you think about it, though, it makes a lot of sense to have it done. If your rescue dog is a mix that has a breed that has known health problems that can be prevented, wouldn’t it be great to know that right away? Or if she needs large breed food, or if she’s has a strong herding breed in her, can you see how knowing that would help you to be a better caretaker? If you would like to get your dogs tested, here’s where you can get the test kit and all the information, including the list of 100 identifiable breeds: Dog DNA Breed Testing
